MASHABLE - Singles increasingly rely on AI in dating, with usage rising 333% from last year, according to Match's Singles in America study (surveying ~5K U.S. singles). ~26% of singles now use AI to improve their dating profiles, messages, and compatibility screening, particularly among Gen Z, where nearly half already use AI. However, many singles consider it unacceptable to use AI to alter photos (44%) or generate conversations (36%). 16% of singles have had AI romantic companions (33% Gen Z, 23% millennials).
1,059 posts categorized "Match.com"
Singles Using AI up 300% YOY, Says Match
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The Origins of Match.com
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK - Gary Kremen, a Stanford graduate and entrepreneur, founded Match.com in 1995, launching one of the world's first and most influential online dating platforms. The idea came in 1993, when Kremen, frustrated with traditional dating methods like newspaper ads and 900-numbers, envisioned an email-based database where users could share photos and messages. He took out a $2,500 cash advance and launched Electric Classifieds Inc., registering domains like Match.com, Jobs.com, and Autos.com. Match became the testing ground, and Kremen focused on designing it specifically with women in mind. He interviewed ~100 women and partnered with Fran Maier, who helped shape Match into a safe, clean, and female-friendly space, including features like public meeting guidelines and later, a paid subscription model. The site was originally run on a Sun Microsystems server and grew steadily, even in an era when few people had home internet access. Maier later recalled its rapid growth, up to 4% daily at one point, and its broad demographic reach.
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Dating App Ad Spending in 2024 Set to Surpass 2023, With Bumble Leading the Charge
MEDIA POST - Dating app ad spending in 2024 is set to surpass 2023's total, with the top six apps (Bumble, eHarmony, Grindr, Hinge, Match.com, and Tinder) spending $147M by July, compared to $220M for all of 2023. Bumble has overtaken Tinder as the top advertiser, spending $44M, driven by a major rebranding effort. Despite a rise in consumer burnout with dating apps, including 78% reporting occasional fatigue, platforms are increasing their marketing to regain interest. Match Group plans to boost marketing for Hinge and Tinder in Q3, while Bumble will also increase its Q4 spending to attract users.
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Sad News for the Dating World: Pioneering Love Researcher Helen Fisher Passes Away at 79
NEW YORK TIMES - Helen Fisher, a renowned biological anthropologist, passed away at 79 due to endometrial cancer. She was known for her groundbreaking research into the brain's circuitry related to love, proving that romantic love is hard-wired in the brain. Fisher's studies, including MRI scans, identified brain regions activated during early-stage love and after romantic rejection. As the chief science adviser to Match.com, she developed tools like the Fisher Temperament Inventory to explore romantic compatibility. Fisher's influential research and TED Talks reached millions. She completed her final book, tentatively titled "Thinking Four Ways: How to Reach Anyone With Neuroscience," just days before her death.
By Richard Sandomir
See full article at The New York Times
Mark Brooks: The dating industry has lost one of its best. Dr Helen Fisher was a gracious leading contributor to the science of biological anthropology, and love. I first met her when she presented at the iDate conference many years ago, and more recently when Dr Fisher presented at LTR in 2021. A sad day! Rest in peace Dr Fisher. You are greatly missed.
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Jay Shetty Is Now Match's Relationship Advisor
PR NEWSWIRE - Jay Shetty, a global bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of On Purpose, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, has joined as Match's Relationship Advisor. Match has integrated Jay's expertise across various product touchpoints, where he will offer guidance on first dates, love, and relationships.
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Interview With Jim Safka
LTR - Jim Safka, former CEO of Match.com, shares his journey from marketing leadership at E*Trade and AT&T Wireless to leading Match through a challenging period. He credits much of his success to understanding cultural differences in dating, exemplified by strategic recruiting and adapting to international markets. Safka highlighted important collaborations, such as bringing in cultural anthropologist Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, who helped adapt Match's strategy to various global markets effectively. He also discusses innovative marketing strategies, including partnering with Dr. Phil on mainstreaming online dating and how a personal touch in the user experience can impact business growth. Safka reflected on past strategies, emphasizing a balance between user experience and monetization, and suggested that the industry needs innovative and enjoyable user experiences rather than simply focusing on profits.
The March LTR was kindly sponsored by ParshipMeet Group, RealMe, along with Courtland Brooks and Matchmaker.com
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How 15 Years of Grindr Has Affected Gay Communities and Dating Culture
THE GUARDIAN - "We [gay men] kind of created the concept of online dating," claims Grindr's CEO, George Arison. Prior to Grindr, gay men had found connection through a variety of means, including classified ads, phone chat lines and, during the late 1990s and 2000s, dating sites such as Gaydar and Manhunt, with the former having 5M subscribers in 2009. While Match.com was launched in 1995, before Gaydar and Manhunt, Arison claims many straight people were still "weirded out" by the concept of online dating at that time. Then, in 2009, along came Grindr. Founded and launched by Joel Simkhai just nine months after Apple added GPS functionality to the iPhone, it was one of, if not the first popular location-based dating apps in the world, a full three years before Tinder was launched. Fifteen years on, its core functionality remains largely unchanged. It allows users to chat with other gay and bisexual men in their immediate area (with location details down to the number of feet away another user is) and arrange to meet up - often for sex.
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The Growing Acceptance of Polyamory
WIRED - Mainstream awareness of polyamorous relationships is becoming more widespread. "Today, polyamory is just another form of self-expression," says Noa Elan, CEO of Bloom Community, a queer-friendly app that caters to poly-identifying individuals. A 2024 Match survey found that 31% of singles have had a non monogamous relationship in their lifetime, and 39% of online daters are open to dating a non monogamous person they meet on a dating app. 50% of men are open to trying polyamorous dating, according to a recent trends report conducted by Flirtini.
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Singles in America: Match Releases Largest Study on US Single Population
PR NEWSWIRE - Match's 13th annual Singles in America study reveals new trends in dating among U.S. singles. Key findings include the need for better sex education, with nearly half of singles believing it leads to healthier relationships. Finances are the top stressor for the second year. Over 40% of young singles see AI as beneficial for partner selection. The study also highlights the popularity of traditional monogamy, with half of the singles preferring it, although one-third have experienced non-monogamous relationships. Additionally, the study touches on political topics like the impact of Roe v. Wade's overturning on singles' dating and sex lives.
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The Era of Free Dating Apps May Be Over
CNBC - The trend of free dating apps is declining as companies like Bumble, The League, Hinge, Match, and Tinder aim to increase revenue, prompting users to opt for paid versions. A Pew Research Center report reveals 35% of American dating app users have paid for these services. The League's VIP membership costs $999 a week or $2,499 a month. In Sep, Tinder rolled out a $499 monthly subscription to some of its most active users, and Hinge recently introduced a $600-a-month membership. Coffee Meets Bagel says its paid users get 60% more dates than its nonsubscribers. Pew Research has found that people who met their partner on an app are more likely to have paid for the service.
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Podcast - the Dating Brain in the Digital Age
CNN - In this episode of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's podcast "Chasing Life," the focus is on love and relationships in the digital age. Skyler Wang, a visiting sociologist at Meta AI, talks about the overwhelming abundance of choices in modern life, particularly in online dating, and how some apps limit options to manage this. He notes that online dating has been transformative for groups like queer individuals, older people, and divorcees. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and chief science advisor to Match.com, shares insights on the constancy of human brain patterns in love and attraction, regardless of technology's evolution. She discusses her development of the Fisher Temperament Inventory, a personality test linked to brain chemistry, which categorizes people into four types: explorers, builders, directors, and negotiators. This categorization aims to help understand compatibility in relationships. She also delves into the concept of "slow love," where people, especially younger generations, are taking longer to find a partner, driven by a desire for deep connection and companionship rather than traditional relationship milestones.
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Match Group's "Are You Sure?" Feature to Expand to Millions of Users Across Match, Stir, OurTime & More
PR NEWSWIRE - Match Group is introducing its anti-harassment feature "Are You Sure?" (AYS?) to users across several platforms, including Match, Stir, OurTime, BLK, Chispa, and Upward, with Hinge planning to adopt it next year. Initially launched on Tinder in 2021 and later on Plenty of Fish and Meetic, AYS? has prevented ~500M potentially problematic or harassing messages by prompting users to reconsider their words before sending. The feature, which uses automated tools to flag potentially harmful language, has led to an 84% decrease in triggering on Plenty of Fish, showing its effectiveness in changing user behavior. The feature is available in 18 languages and is part of Match Group's efforts, including an upcoming "Respect Before Swiping" campaign, to promote respectful interactions and boundaries on its platforms.
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Dating at 50+: Older Americans' Experiences With Online Dating
PEW RESEARCH - A Pew Research Center survey has found that 17% of Americans aged 50+ have engaged with dating websites or apps, showing no significant change since 2019. While the use of these platforms is similar across age groups, only 3% of this older demographic are current users compared to 15% of those under 50. Older adults' preferred platforms differ from their younger counterparts, with older users more likely to use Match and less likely to use Tinder. Notably, older men are more likely to opt for paid features on dating sites. However, online dating experiences for older adults can often be negative, with older women reporting more negative experiences than men. Nearly half of all online daters over 50 have encountered suspected scams.
by Olivia Sidoti & Michelle Faverio
See full article at Pew Research
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Match Launches New Live in-app Event Called '72 Hours'
TECH CRUNCH - Match.com is introducing a time-sensitive feature called "72 Hours" to foster more meaningful connections among its users. The feature, available weekly, allows users to message potential matches for three days before the conversation vanishes. During the designated time frame, members can select nearby profiles on a map and start conversations in hopes of making weekend plans with the other person before time runs out. Initially available in New York, the feature will gradually roll out nationwide. The idea behind "72 Hours" is to combat conversations that never move beyond the app and eventually die out.
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Match Group Reports Q1 2023 Results
MATCH GROUP - The Q1 '23 results showed a 1% YOY decrease in total revenue at $787M due to a 3% decline in payers, partially offset by a 2% increase in revenue per payer (RPP). On a foreign exchange neutral (FXN) basis, the total revenue was up 3% YOY at $822M. Tinder's direct revenue was flat YOY at $441M, while Hinge's direct revenue grew 27% YOY. Match Group Asia's direct revenue declined 13% YOY. Evergreen & Emerging (Match.com, Meetic, OurTime & Pairs, BLK, and Chispa) direct revenue was down 8% YOY. Q1 operating income was $198M, down 5% YOY, while Q1 adjusted operating income was $263M, down 4% YOY. Tinder's new weekly subscription packages and pricing optimizations are expected to increase revenue as 2023 progresses. Tinder is also focusing on improving women's user experience by providing relevancy, realness, and respect. They are testing Just for You, curated profiles, and adding interactive profile elements to provide a richer and more engaging user experience. Hinge is seeing exceptional momentum in Europe, with plans to launch more targeted marketing efforts in Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands in Q2.
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